2004 FORD ESCAPE Complaints

REAR PASSENGER WHEEL WELL RUSTED SHOCK CAME OFF. FORD WON'T FIX IT. DRIVING WITH ONE REAR SHOCK.

DRIVING 25 TO 30 MILES PER HOUR THROTTLE STICKS AT 3 RPMS . I HAD TO RIDE BRAKE TO PULL OVER SAFELY. I SHUT CAR OFF AND RESTARTED, IDLE WENT UP TO 3 RPMS AND SLOWLY WENT TO 1 RPM I DROVE CAR HOME WITH NO PROBLEM. I STARTED CAR TODAY WITH IDLE STICKING ON 2 TO 3 RPM BEFORE GOING BACK TO 1.

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

I WAS LEAVING MY PARKING SPOT WHERE THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN PARKED FOR APPROXIMATELY 45 MINUTES WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND MY BRAKES WERE NOT WORKING PROPERLY. I DISCOVERED THAT BRAKE FLUID WAS LEAKING OUT OF THE BRAKE LINE IN THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE WHEEL WELL. THE RUBBER HOSE HAD DETERIORATED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. YESTERDAY I WAS DRIVING WHEN MY BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AGAIN. WHEN I PARKED THE CAR I FOUND THAT BRAKE FLUID IS LEAKING FROM THE BRAKE LINE IN THE FRONT PASSENGERS SIDE WHEEL WELL. THE VEHICLE NOW HAD APPROXIMATELY 137000 MILES. IT APPEARS THAT THE RUBBER BRAKE LINE HOSE HAD DETERIORATED ON THAT SIDE AS WELL. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AS BOTH TIMES I WAS DRIVING MY KIDS AND HAD TO WORRY ABOUT INJURING THEM AND POTENTIALLY ANYONE ELSE ON THE ROAD AT THE TIMES THIS OCCURRED.

RIGHT REAR WHEEL WELL COMPLETELY RUSTED OUT AND SHOCK MOUNT WHICH WAS BOLTED TO IT FELL AND IS HANGING NEXT TO AND ON THE WHEEL ALONG WITH A BALL OF SHARP TWISTED METAL FROM THE WHEEL WELL. HEARD NOISES FROM BACK OF CAR PAST MONTH OR SO BUT THOUGHT IT WAS SOMETHING IN THE CARGO COMPARTMENT. THEN WENT OVER POTHOLE AND LOUD BANG LIKE THE EXHAUST PIPE FELL AND WAS DRAGGING. THEN A BURNING RUBBER SMELL. THE METAL PIECE IS ABOUT TO PIERCE THE TIRE AND THE SHOCK ITSELF IS HANGING AND BANGING AGAINST TIRE. CAR IS UNDRIVABLE AND MAY BE UNFIXABLE IN THAT THE FIX WOULD BE WORTH MORE THAN THE CAR. I OF COURSE CAN NOT GET ANOTHER CAR RIGHT NOW DUE TO FINANCIAL REASONS SO WITHOUT A CAR NOW BECAUSE OF THIS. THE OTHER WHEEL WELLS SEEM FINE, NO RUST. THOUGH THERE IS A FEW RUST SPOTS ON THE BOTTOM OF THE RUNNING BOARDS AND ONE OF THE DOORS (WHICH THERE SHOULD NOT BE IN THIS DAY AND AGE ANY RUST) TO HAVE THIS IMMENSE AMOUNT OF RUST ONLY IN ONE WELL TELLS ME SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THE DESIGN OR THE PAINT JOB AT THE FACTORY. IF A TIRE BLOWS OUT IT COULD KILL SOMEONE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS IN AN SUV . THIS IS A DEFECT, NOT AGING. NEEDS TO BE A RECALL. THOUGH THE CAR IS 11 I HAVE LESS THAN 90,000 ON IT. I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO TRASH THE CAR DUE TO BODY ROT AT 90,000. IF THIS WAS DUE TO AGING OR WEATHER ALL THE WHEEL WELLS WOULD BE LIKE THIS.

FRONT TIRES NOW EXPERIENCING EXCESSIVE WEAR AFTER THE LOWER CONTROL ARM RUSTED THROUGH. RE-ENFORCED BRACE IN MAY 2014 RECALL DOES NOT HELP PREVENT AN ACCIDENT. STEERING PULLS TO THE RIGHT WHEN TURNING. THE CONTROL ARMS NEED REPLACED.

VEHICLE AIRBAG LIGHT GOES ON AND OFF INTERMITTENTLY. THIS HAPPENS WHETHER PARKED OR DRIVING, WHETHER THERE IS A PASSENGER OR NOT. VEHICLE WILL "REV" IN PARK, IF THE STEERING WHEEL IS TURNED SLIGHTLY, BUMPED OR MOVE. TWICE VEHICLE HAS "JUMPED" WHILE IN PARKED WHEN THIS HAS HAPPENED. MAJOR ISSUE: DOOR LOCKS WILL NOT OPEN. THERE IS NO MANUAL LOCK ON THE DOORS, ONLY ELECTRONIC. NO PLACE FOR A KEY. PASSENGERS HAVE BEEN LOCKED INSIDE WITH NO WAY TO EXIT VEHICLE EXCEPT TO CLIMB OVER SEAT. WILL HAPPEN TO VARIOUS DOORS, MOST OFTEN THE FRONT PASSENGER DOOR, BUT NOT ALL DOORS AT THE SAME TIME (WE BELIEVE THIS MAY HAPPEN,) DOOR LOCK WILL CLICK 3 TIMES BUT WILL NOT UNLOCK.

REAR PASSENGER WHEEL WELL WHERE THE SHOCK MOUNTS TO THE BODY IS COMPLETELY RUSTED OUT AND DETACHED FROM THE UPPER BODY OF THE VEHICLE. I WAS TRAVELING ON THE INTERSTATE AT ABOUT 65MPH WHEN THIS PIECE BROKE LOOSE FROM THE REST OF THE BODY. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS, AND ALMOST CAUSED ME A SERIOUS ACCIDENT ON A BUSY HIGHWAY. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF OTHER COMPLAINTS FILED JUST IN THIS DATABASE ALONE WITH THE SAME EXACT ISSUE, RUST/CORROSION OF THE REAR PASSENGER WHEEL WELL WHERE THE SHOCK MOUNTS TO THE BODY. THE FORD DEALERSHIP THAT I HAD MY VEHICLE TOWED TO TOLD US THAT THEY HAVE RECENTLY SEEN 4 OR 5 OTHER ESCAPES THAT HAVE THE SAME EXACT ISSUE. PLEASE INVESTIGATE, THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN.

THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL WELL RUSTED OUT AND SEPARATED FROM VEHICLE BODY. CREATED SUSPENSION PROBLEM AND HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITION. THIS IS APPARENTLY A KNOWN ISSUE WITH SEVERAL FORD PRODUCTS ACCORDING TO THE REPAIR SHOP THAT HAS NOT BEEN ADDRESSED BY FORD.

CLUNKING NOISE AND ROUGH RIDE. FOUND PASSENGER SIDE REAR WHEEL WELL EXTREMELY RUSTED OUT AND SHOCK ESSENTIALLY DETACHED FROM VEHICLE. THE REST OF THE VEHICLE HAS NO RUST ASIDE FROM SMALL SURFACE RUST ON NON-PAINTED PIECES. SEARCHED ONLINE TO FIND THIS PROBLEM IS EXTREMELY COMMON WITH THESE ESCAPES, YET NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED DESPITE THE OBVIOUS DEFECT AND SAFETY CONCERNS. *TR